Psychosocial Impacts of Disaster Response Discussion It’s a response to this assignment: https://www.studypool.com/discuss/14080198/psychosocial-impacts-o

Psychosocial Impacts of Disaster Response Discussion It’s a response to this assignment:

https://www.studypool.com/discuss/14080198/psychosocial-impacts-of-disaster-discussion-board-question-international-response-global-conflict-and-refugees

I need to provide a substantive ?????response to my co-students and support my idea. In the attachments, you will find 3 classmates that I want a separate file for each one.

Reference to appropriate authoritative resources and official websites. Must be accessible online. Use New Times Roman 12 font with 1” margins and APA style.

Each response should be at least 150 words. Q1: From your reading, what is an example of how psychological distress either WAS
mitigated or COULD HAVE been better mitigated via the use of effective risk
communication from public officials?
The public health officials in almost all cases failed to use effective risk communication to
address the general public about the rumours regarding the disease outbreaks. In case of SARS
and New York’s China Town, the media can be blames for causing the psychological distress
among the general public by targeting the Chinese community and blaming them for the disease
outbreak. This distress could have been better mitigated if the public officials had used the media
platform for themselves to address the general public about the disease. They should have used
effective risk communication by educating the general public using a simpler, lay-man term
about the disease so that the whole culture assassination could be stopped. Moreover, other
channels for addressing the general public could also have been used i.e. public service ads on
TVs or different social media platforms.
Q2: Name a success of risk communication, if you can locate one, and alternatively, name
a failure of effective risk communication (and why it was deemed a failure).
From the readings I went through, it is hard to say that I found a successful risk communication
event. However, in the case of Anthrax attacks, the event-structure analysis concluded that the
risk communication from the public health officials failed to succeed. The October 29thmeeting
can be blamed for the miscommunication of Anthrax attacks where the state health official failed
to show up and a local health official addressed the workers of Monmouth PDC with false
information. Moreover, the problem grew when workers started asking for Nasal Swabs thinking
of it as a cure to the problem. The chain started where other hospitals also started offering Nasal
Swabs to people as precaution to the virus setting things in motion. Thus, this case is an example
of failure of effective risk communication as the state health official failed to address the general
public with legitimate information he had.
Q3: What lessons about effective risk communication will you carry forward in your career
in emergency management?
The lessons I will carry forward in my career of emergency management are clear from the
readings. Firstly, I will always address the general public with true and proven information about
any virus outbreaks that may occur. A good way is to use different types of analysis to assess the
situation. I will try to perform my duties diligently. If only the state health officer was present in
the meeting in the case of miscommunication of Anthrax Attacks, the problem could’ve been
contained and things would’ve been returned to normal pretty soon.
Also, I will try to be present whenever I’m needed. I will not judge any single race, culture or
class for any outbreak. I will do in-depth analysis of the problem and provide information to
public only when I’m satisfied. Lastly, I will use the electronic and digital media to spread my
message when needed.
Q4:Please note any other lessons that you would want to make sure to share with current
and future colleagues?
Other than the lessons I’ve ingested from the readings, I would like to give my future
colleagues a number of advices.
1-This career requires a person to be readily available for any emergencies that may occur. For
this reason. The person should be mentally and physically fit. An unfit person cannot only help
others but also cannot help himself.
2- I will advise them to be informative about the current trends and news in case any emergency
is expected. In this case, we can be pre-plan the course of action needed to face the problem and
make the move more efficiently.
3- I will also advise them not to give any statement if they’re not clear about the problem. The
unsure news does more damage than a false news.
4- Lastly, I will advise them to stay unbiased when making a decision as discrimination will
bring more harm than good.
References:
Eichelberger, L. (2007). SARS and New York’s Chinatown: the politics of risk and blame
during
an epidemic of fear. Social Science & Medicine, 65(6), 1284-1295.
O’Neill, K. M., Calia, J. M., Chess, C., & Clarke, L. (2007). Miscommunication during the
anthrax attacks: How events reveal organizational failures. Human Ecology Review, 119-129.
Schiavo, R. (2014). Risk communication: Ebola and beyond. Journal of Communication in
Healthcare. 239-241.
1. From your reading, what is an example of how psychological distress either WAS
mitigated or COULD HAVE been better mitigated via the use of effective risk
communication from public officials?
I chose to read about the actions of Johnson & Johnson’s public relations actions during their
Tylenol tampering incident in the 1980s (it’s not one of the posted readings). It is particularly
poignant today since it has become an internet-inspired åtrend to go into a grocery store and lick
ice cream to put it back, which gives consumers anxiety over the integrity of their food products.
In 1982, an unidentified criminal laced Tylenol bottles from pharmacies in the Chicago area with
potassium cyanide, killing seven people (Department of Defense, n.d.). Johnson & Johnson was
the parent company for the manufacturer and formed a good relationship with the FDA and FBI
to be involved in the investigation as much as possible. They also formed a strategy team, which
worked with the media to broadcast an extensive recall of all Tylenol capsules (Department of
Defense, n.d.). They also let the public in on the strategy that they were using to ensure the safety
of their other products and set up a hotline that was frequently updated and had
information/statements on the current state of affairs (Department of Defense, n.d.). Their efforts
in warning the public with transparent information have been lauded as the best example of how
a company has handled a business disaster (Department of Defense, n.d.). Although it’s outside
of the public-sector sphere, I think it’s an excellent example of how effective communication put
people at ease and kept them informed. In the end, Tylenol bounced back with the tamper-proof
packaging that we see today and the FDA modified their packaging regulations to ensure this
would not happen to other over the counter medications (Department of Defense, n.d.). While
there was a period of distress, the actions by Johnson & Johnson officials made it clear that
public safety was their priority, quelled public fear quickly, and re-established brand trust in
under a year.
2. Name a success of risk communication, if you can locate one, and alternatively, name a
failure of effective risk communication (and why it was deemed a failure).
The first example of a failure of risk communication that I found came from the readings. The
way the SARS outbreak in New York City was handled effectively placed the blame of the
outbreak on the Asian residents, specifically Chinatown, and caused a decrease in the number of
patrons at their businesses and general fear surrounding the area (Eichelberger, 2007). This was
despite there only being eight people in the entire United States having a confirmed case of
SARS (Eichelberger, 2007). Despite the actual low risk, the media ran with the “epidemic”
tagline and incited the social factors cited in the article (Eichelberger, 2007). The information
that was being spread was xenophobic, incorrect, and sensationalized, and is a good example of
what happens when public officials don’t control the narrative.
In contrast, the way that New York City’s former mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, handled the press
following the September 11th attacks in 2001 is an excellent example of how public officials can
influence the community’s response to an incident. His press releases following the attacks were
honest and open and allowed him to control the narrative that was told about NYC (U.S.
Department of Health and Social Services, n.d.). It also set the tone for the residents, who were
justifiably terrified and uncertain. He made sure to not promise anything that he wasn’t sure of
and to only release information once it had been verified (U.S. Department of Health and Social
Services, n.d.). He actually wrote a book about his leadership experiences during the aftermath of
9/11, and I’m sure it has many other nuggets of knowledge on crisis communication “do’s and
dont’s”.
3. What lessons about effective risk communication will you carry forward in your career
in emergency management?
The CDC resource was really informative, and I’ll definitely be referencing it in the future if I
find myself with a career in emergency management. I’ll list some of the more poignant
takeaways since they’re easier to digest that way (most of these are directly from the CDC
document):
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do not send mixed messages, make sure that the broadcasted narrative is cohesive and do not
engage in public power struggles.
Release information in a timely manner, but only once that information is known to be accurate.
Try to set the narrative, do not let the media speculate.
Share information in a transparent manner, and let the public reach their own conclusions guided
by your information. Do not tell them not to worry, arm them with information so that they can
understand the risks and gravity of the situation.
Dispel rumors quickly. If left unaddressed, rumors have the potential to weaken trust in official
entities and decrease the effectiveness of response measures.
Focus on your communication. What you say is almost as important as how you say it. Make
sure you are conveying information in an empathetic but factual manner. Keep communication
lines open and direct people to where they can get more information.
Practice risk communication and prepare your agency to engage in this kind of discourse. You do
not want your first time to be during a disaster.
This list is a conglomeration of lessons gleaned from the Crisis & Emergency Risk
Communication from the CDC/U.S. Department of Health and Social Services.
4. Please note any other lessons that you would want to make sure to share with current
and future colleagues.
Not everyone is cut out for the job of risk communication. Know your strengths and weaknesses
and play to them. In the end, an effective response to a disaster has many facets, and public
information is just one of them. Practice effective communication, but understand how you are
perceived, how you deliver information, and how you respond to questions. Some people are
made to be in the spotlight, and some are better at behind-the-scenes strategy (I fit into the latter
category). Additionally, build relationships with the media early and let them know who their
point of contact will be in the event of a disaster or emergency. Be patient with the public and
understand that they are not as entrenched as we are in dealing with disasters and that they may
have more of an emotional reaction to the incident.
Department of Defense. (n.d.). Crisis Communication Strategies – Case Study: The Johnson &
Johnson Tylenol Crisis. Retrieved from
https://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/02C2/Johnson & Johnson.htm
Eichelberger, L. (2007). SARS and New Yorks Chinatown: The politics of risk and blame during
an epidemic of fear. Social Science & Medicine,65(6), 1284-1295.
doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.04.022
U.S. Department of Health and Social Services. (n.d.). Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication
(CERC)|CDC. Retrieved from https://emergency.cdc.gov/cerc/index.asp
1. From your reading, what is an example of how psychological distress either WAS
mitigated or COULD HAVE been better mitigated via the use of effective risk
communication from public officials?
The Ebola crisis could have been mitigated if public health officials were aware of the preexisting conditions and traditions in Africa prior to arrival. They should have utilized more
African health officials from the ministry of health to better understand the underlying causing
and transmission of the virus. Global partners were not using effective communication for the
region that they were in. Most of the people in the areas that they were in could not read at their
age level if at all. Therefore, utilizing signs where there was extensive reading was not
beneficial. This led to further psychological distress because not only our people’s relatives and
neighbors dying suddenly there are strangers in their land. This is where the rumors of the white
men are here to kill us begins to blossom. There is already a garment of distrust against
Caucasians in the land for several reasons besides slavery. Apartheid left a lasting stain of
distrust throughout the continent. The fabric of psychological distrust had already begun to be
woven; this outbreak only exacerbated the mental trauma. The ground teams finally gathered
some of this information and began to incorporate the native people more in their efforts. They
also utilized pictogram more to convey safety messages.
2. Name a success of risk communication, if you can locate one, and alternatively, name a
failure of effective risk communication (and why it was deemed a failure).
I would say that risk communication campaigns surround anthrax has been successful because
it’s still in effect today well after the initial attacks. If people receive a suspicious package in the
mail or white powdery substance that, they immediately contact the authorities. This is a double
edge sword because attacks also know that is what the receiver of the package is going to do.
This is known to lead to hoax and bait packages being delivered.
A failed effective risk communication campaign would have to be the initial HIV/AIDS
campaigns where they demonized homosexual couples. When Aids was first discovered, the,e
media freaked everyone out with the idea that it was airborne and could be easily spread by
shaking hands and other non-empirical explanations. The information spread was simply not
correct and relied on scare tactics to do the job and try to decrease the amount of transmission.
3. What lessons about effective risk communication will you carry forward in your career
in emergency management?
The most important lesson in knowing your audience, this helps to direct the message to the
necessary people. For instance, in the Ebola outbreak, the team did not know the circumstances
and cultural ideas surrounding the region. If they would have done further research, they may
have been able to get a grasp on the outbreak sooner.
Lesson learned: You will make mistakes, and so will others; it’s about correcting them and
moving forward from it that matters in the end.
Reference
Allgaier, J., & Svalastog, A. L. (2015). The communication aspects of the Ebola virus disease
outbreak in Western Africa–do we need to counter one, two, or many epidemics?.
Croatian medical journal, 56(5), 496–499. doi:10.3325/cmj.2015.56.496

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